About

“Don’t Be Gullible” began with a women’s Small Group Curriculum I wrote over a year ago. In speaking on the last days and the deceit that will run rampant during those times, Paul wrote to Timothy, “They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible (or weak) women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires”. (2 Timothy 3:6) At first I set out to prove Paul wrong because surely women aren’t gullible! But I was quickly proven wrong. I am gullible. In spite of 20 plus years of professing my belief in Christ, I realized that I didn’t really know my bible. I never valued theology or doctrine. The result has been my gullibility to the lies of Satan and this world. I was robbed of the peace and joy found in Jesus because I was ignorant of the truth.

People are gullible when they do not study the Word of God. They readily accept any doctrine and teaching. They are happy to gather around teachers who will soothe their itchy ears. Gullible people don’t know what it means to take responsibility for their own faith and spiritual growth making them easy prey for false teachers.

I heard a bible teacher once say that backsliding doesn’t begin when we do the things we are not supposed to do but when we stop doing the things we are supposed to do. That’s where the deviation begins. Prayer and bible reading are a daily endeavor. Gathering with other believers in fellowship is important as well. When we neglect this most important work, we begin to fall from grace and become more susceptible to sin. That’s when the backsliding begins.

As a very good friend of mine pointed out, I have a lot of time in my hands. The plan here is to share my bible studies with you. I will be walking through the bible chapter by chapter and sharing what I learn.

My first goal for Don’t Be Gullible (DGB) is to make biblical truth the only objective truth in my life. In our post-modern world, many believe that the truth is relative. They claim that if it is true for you, no one can say that you are wrong. Post-modern thinking is teaching us to “know your truth”. However, the bible only teaches objective and absolute truth. Furthermore, it teaches that the Truth is a person.

It is the bible that contains the worldview of a follower of Jesus. We cannot compartmentalize God. He’s not just for your prayer times or for church services. We must desire to think of and consider Him every minute of every day. Every decision, every action and even every thought should be submissive to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Let’s bring back those “WWJD” bracelets!

My second goal is to never study or teach the bible from the pretext. Teaching from pretext is using the text to prove your own ideas or opinions. Instead of opening the bible and asking God what He thinks on the matter, you use the text to convince yourself (and your hearers) that you have the correct assessment. The bible is not up for private interpretation. God said what He said and He meant what He said. I hope to show you how the bible interprets itself and is a cohesive book.

My third goal is to encourage critical thinking. The best part of my small group experience was seeing the ladies digging into God’s Word with confidence and excitedly sharing what they learned. I only wanted to help them see that they could understand the Word of God, apply it to their lives and develop the ability to discern between the truth and deception. There were times that I did not have the answer but someone else did. I love that! So thinking caps on!